Tour of the Battenkill lands spot on National Racing Calendar for 2012

Anthem Sports has announced that the 8th edition of "America's Queen of the Classics", the Tour of the Battenkill, has secured a spot on USA Cycling's National Racing Calendar (NRC) for 2012. The classic-style event, a long-time favorite on the US cycling scene, is scheduled for April 14th and 15th. The event will feature the popular Pro/Am event including the elite women's race on Saturday, and the professional men's NRC race on Sunday.

The Tour of Battenkill's presence in the NRC raises the event total to 10 for the series that includes several multi-day events for men and women. The Tour of the Battenkill and the Univest Grand Prix make up the only one-day events on the NRC calendar.

For the 2011 edition, the 100 kilometer Tour of the Battenkill Pro/Am saw more than 2500 registrants, and expects to reach nearly 3000 next year. The two-lap, 200 kilometer professional event is expected to feature a massive 200 rider field that will navigate a demanding course where 25% of the action happens over dirt roads.

Past winners of the professional men's race includes BMC's Scott Nydam and Garmin/Holowesko Partners' Caleb Fairly who reached the WorldTour with HTC-Highroad this past season. Fairly took the 2010 edition over Floyd Landis in a late-race two-man break through muddy roads.

The Tour of the Battenkill event also features an expo, live entertainment, and the Sunday morning non-competitive Bike Marathon-Battenkill to benefit various charities. The fully-supported non-competitive Battenkill Spring Preview Ride is also scheduled for Sunday, March 25 in Cambridge where several hundred riders are expected.

The event is also part of the Great American Cycling Series that includes several classic-style Pro/Am events across the US. A full calendar for the series will be published in December.